insurance claim question

[BIGQ]

Hi all,
Was hoping someone could give me some advise

My sister ran into the bum of my patrol and ***** my rear bumper and smashed a rear tail light. Lucky no panel damage.

I could not think of a better excuse to put a rear steel bar on it (I was going to anyway) but I am not sure of the best way to go about this...

Should I claim the bar on my insurance and get her to pay excess, or use her insurance?

Obviously I will have to top up the difference (I don't think it will be much considering one side of the poxy GU plastic bumpers are over 350 bucks ea!!!)
Do insurance companies let you do this kind of thing??
Should I have posted this at all??? lol

Cheers for any advise as I have never had to make an insurance claim before either with my own insurance or someone elses.

[Teabag]

Whether you go through her insurance or yours is up to you. Now wrt what you can and can't do with the insurer is dependant upon the insurer? Recently I damaged my side step on the Patrol pretty badly and through my insurance company I claimed a set of sliders instead of replacing the step and I just payed the difference. Now the one side step that was badly damaged to replace was $606 through Nissan yet a set of Cheezy Sliders was only $795 plus fitting and all I had to do was pay all over the $606. It payes to ask them but make sure you tell them that this can assist in protection of the vehicle thus preventing or minimising the damage next time.....It's all about your sales pitch......hehehehe...Worked for me......

[Yom]

Many panel beaters are more than happy to talk to you about this as well.

Looks like we're replacing the alloy bar on our GU to the steel bar thanks to some champion driving into it and pushing it out of shape. The steel bar is actually cheaper than a replacement alloy too.

I dinged the rear bumper pretty badly last weekend but won't bother going through insurance for it. Was a nice brain fart... Just pleased I wasn't in my own car as I'd have some serious issues finding a new bumper for it and I'd be up for a new exhaust. Plus it'll be cheaper to fix the damage myself than pay any excess and have a claim against my name!

Good luck with it.

[JET-6]

YOM, i have a series 5 rear bar you can have cheap if you can get it, ps and its silver

[BIGQ]

Thanks guys,
I am thinking that it will be better off to just get some cash off my sis as she is under twenty five and I think her excess will be over 750 bucks..

I am not exactly sure what a GU3 rear tail light (drivers side) and a rear bumper also drivers side are worth??? Would it be that much? I think from memory the bumper is over 350 and I am sure the light would be at least 150?

If I can keep her insurance out of it I think it will be better for her. She has minor damage to her navara but she may have to just live with that for a while until she can afford to fix it. My Patrol is more important!!! lol

I am going to get an OL rear bar just without the wheel carrier to start just the two spigots and eventually I will get the wheel carrier once I have the funds.

Thanks again for your input

[Yom]

Originally Posted by JET-6

YOM, i have a series 5 rear bar you can have cheap if you can get it, ps and its silver

If only you were in QLD... Shipping is probably going to be murder. And transporting it without damage of course.

[Fivid]

A cash deal with your sister would be best by the sound of it. If you claim through her insurance she will have to fork out the excess and have a black mark against her, if you claim through yours and identify her as the cause then your insurance company will pay you out but go straight to her or her insurance company to recover the money and she ends up with a black mark against her name again.

[BIGQ]

I think after looking at her ute that she may have to go through insurance.

I am waiting to check policies etc but because she has done some damage to her tailgate and rear light (worse than I thought) it may be the only option otherwise she will have to pay twice so to speak.

If she pays me for my damage she still has a buggered ute. If she goes thru insurance she gets her car fixed up for only a couple of hundred bucks more but she ends up with a black spot on her name...

Pain in the arse really.

Even if I be incredibly nice and pay for the damage on my truck I reckon she has more than her excess worth of repairs on hers.
I think she may just have to live with a black spot on her name and learn how to drive!!!!

[PaulnLou]

Insurance companies can be flexible if you negotiate and convince them that you're not attempting anything like fraud.

[very rusty Patrol]

uk insurance companies just have a mask and a horse and rob you blind.

[sudso]

Originally Posted by BIGQ

Thanks guys,
I am thinking that it will be better off to just get some cash off my sis as she is under twenty five and I think her excess will be over 750 bucks..

I am not exactly sure what a GU3 rear tail light (drivers side) and a rear bumper also drivers side are worth??? Would it be that much? I think from memory the bumper is over 350 and I am sure the light would be at least 150?

If I can keep her insurance out of it I think it will be better for her. She has minor damage to her navara but she may have to just live with that for a while until she can afford to fix it. My Patrol is more important!!! lol

I am going to get an OL rear bar just without the wheel carrier to start just the two spigots and eventually I will get the wheel carrier once I have the funds.

Thanks again for your input

You forgot one thing, the insurance company will want to determine who is at fault and target that persons ins. company and policy first. If there isn't one the other party can claim through theirs.
"If you backed into her and it was your fault" you can claim it through yours and get the cash for your excess from her.
Get your crash repairer to get quotes for original and aftermarket bars, you'll find that OEM will probably be dearer and your ins. company will most likely take the cheaper route, if it is ok with you